How it is: With beauty, we all have our day in the sun

There was a time in my life when I would have looked up when I heard this expression. I might have felt flattered, scared or annoyed, depending on how and where it was said. Now, as a 48-year-old, I assume the phrase is not directed at me.

Either George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde said, "Youth is wasted on the young." Whoever said it, I think the statement is an overreach. I know, however, that I wasted my youthful beauty.

At 16, I did not appreciate my wrinkle- and liver spot-free skin. Instead, I obsessed on the pimples that occasionally erupted on my forehead and nose. I didn't appreciate my ability to eat huge volumes of both healthy and unhealthy foods and still fit into my Levi's. I never even smiled at my long-lashed brown eyes that rarely had dark circles under them. I wish I had more photos of me in my teens and 20s; my kids don't believe that I once was pretty.

Speaking of my kids, 12 years ago I would have assumed that "Hi there, beautiful!" was directed at my son, who is walking in downtown Fairfax with me today. As a 2-year-old, my son had apple cheeks, a mound of golden curls and a cloud-parting smile he shared with almost every stranger who smiled at him. Now 14, he prefers a near buzz cut for his light brown hair. He only rarely smiles, and as he walks with me, his eyes are on the ground, probably because he doesn't want his high school classmates to recognize him as he walks with his mother and dog.

Our dog Apollo wags his tail so hard his whole butt follows when he sights the approaching older man who complimented him. Apollo is now the beauty of our family, with his thick golden fur, a lighter white undercoat, a completely black nose, a curved tail covered with even more long wisps of vacuum-clogging fur and a golden retriever's relaxed smile. Apollo maneuvers his head to be under the man's hand for the stroking that he knows is coming his way. I smile, and ask the man if he has a dog. He does.

As treasures in my life have disappeared, like my flat stretch-mark-free stomach, they have been replaced by other gifts, like my children.

My daughter nagged for a dog for more than five years, and Apollo finally joined our family in my midlife. I don't how I lived so long without him. As my kids are moving away from me, I appreciate Apollo's companionship and enthusiasm. Sure, I can get a bit jealous of his beauty, but I can't begrudge the affection he generates.

It's his time in the sun.

Beth Touchette is a Fairfax resident. The IJ has been asking readers to share their stories of love, dating, parenting, marriage, friendship and other experiences for our How It Is column. All stories must not have been published in part or in its entirety previously. Send your stories of no more than 500 words to relating@marinij.com. Please write How It Is in the subject line. The IJ reserves the right to edit them for publication. Please include your full name, address and a daytime phone number.